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Rookie question (maximizing windows)

M

mthaker

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 8, 2006
7
0
Hey all, this is a really rookie question (because I am a rookie to Mac) but is there a quick way to maximize a window to make it fit the screen? In Windows, you just double-click the top pane of the window and it maximizes. I am wondering how to do this on a Mac. Clicking the + button at the top left corner of windows doesn't really fit it to the screen...

thanks!!
 
Welcome to the world of Macs. They're great, but they aren't perfect. Unfortunately the feature you want isn't really available. The green(+) button behaves differently for different apps, but is the closest to a true "maximize" or "fill window" button. You might want to learn a bit about AppleScript. You can write (or download) Applescripts that will handle this capability for at least some applications. HTH.
 
In before "There is no Maximize in OS X"...


Anyways, the + button is "Zoom". Most applications try to resize themselves to fit their content. I few programs to go fullscreen when you hit it. Why do you need to "Maximize" anyways? I find myself trying to KEEP Windows from doing it when I have to a Windows machine. It's annoying since you get so much unused space.
 
Short answer: You don't...

Long answer: You don't...

Seriously, working in full screen mode is just not efficient (and the applications which thinks you need full screen mode will expand the window to full screen when you press the third little button (green with a +) on top of every window, others will just expand to the point needed).

If you have to have a full screen mode in, lets say Safari, then there is a workaround: Make a bookmark in your bookmarks bar, call it (F) or what ever, and use this link:

javascript:self.moveTo(0,0);self.resizeTo(screen.availWidth,screen.availHeight);

That will give you a full screen window in most browsers...
 
I must totally agree. Windows has trained you to work with every program maximized.

Macs have never had this "feature" (if you can call it that). The green button of today was a box with some lines in it in the classic days. It has always served the same purpose though, it is the Zoom button. It fits the window most appropriately to it's current content.

Think of it as smart window resizing, not just "maximize everything"

You'll find some Windows users now and then complain about Macs "lacking" this "feature" but it really is supposed to be a feature in itself, in that the Mac OS is smart enough to know what size the content in a window is, and how best to display it.
 
You will come to appreciate the Mac way. However, for those programs where you really do want a large window size, manually resize the window. Most programs will remember your preferred window size.
 
emptyCup said:
You will come to appreciate the Mac way. However, for those programs where you really do want a large window size, manually resize the window. Most programs will remember your preferred window size.
Click to expand...

I switched to the Mac one year ago and I have yet to appreciate the Mac way in this regard. When I surf internet, different webpages have different sizes and I therefore need to resize the window whenever I go to another page (let's say from cnnsi.com to nytimes.com).

I wish that I could maximize the window with the click of a button once and for all so that I do not need to click on the green "fit the webpage" button every time I go to another website.

I think a "fit the whole screen" option is indispensable. After having used the Mac fr one year, I still miss this feature.
 
Caezar said:
I wish that I could maximize the window with the click of a button once and for all so that I do not need to click on the green "fit the webpage" button every time I go to another website.

I think a "fit the whole screen" option is indispensable. After having used the Mac fr one year, I still miss this feature.
Click to expand...
Wow... imagine if there was a way to do this in browsers...

...oh wait... there might... it might even have been already mentioned... maybe even in this thread... :rolleyes:

Read post #4!
 
Two more options...

While neither will maximize to full-screen it will maximize the window to the size that OS X "thinks" is appropriate. You can:

1) Make a key binding in System Preferences --> Keyboard & Mouse --> Keyboard Shortcuts that binds whatever key-combo you want to "Zoom" in the "Window" menu of all apps. The only trouble here is that not all apps have a Zoom option in the Window Menu.

2) Alternately, you can download Witch.app which allows you to set key bindings for a number of things, including the green-(+).

If you have a key binding set up then you can "zoom" the window whenever you need to. If the webpage require full-screen then it will zoom to full screen, otherwise you are left with some real estate to access other windows.
 
Mitthrawnuruodo said:
Wow... imagine if there was a way to do this in browsers...

...oh wait... there might... it might even have been already mentioned... maybe even in this thread... :rolleyes:

Read post #4!
Click to expand...
AND, it works, quite well actually! :)

Webpages don't fluctuate that much, to me. I keep my browser at a particular width, and most sites seem to fit in it fine.
 
Yeah I don't know what web pages you're looking at. I leave my browser at a pretty good size for all pages.

I can't think of any pages that would *need* a full screen browser window.
 
Caezar said:
I think a "fit the whole screen" option is indispensable.
Click to expand...

I'll bet you a beer that you do NOT have a 30 inch LCD monitor.

If you did you'd be thinking that a "maximize" button was worse than usless. Think about what if you had two 30" LCD screens or four. In the general case, what would a user really want? I think you'd want a button that makes the window as big as required to show everythingin it. Going bigger will show nothing more.
 
I didn't quite understand this right away either. I'd always drag the window to make it full screen.

After seeing the light though, I can't stand fullscreen windows anymore. I don't like any of my apps fullscreen.
 
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